Best of Both Brothers
by hannahroll816
Summary: After losing her family and meeting John Winchester, Ainsley finds herself seeing the supernatural everywhere. When Sam and Dean decide to teach her about the life she finds she has a connection with both brothers that can't be denied. But what happens when two Winchesters love one girl?
1. Toledo

Toledo wasn't a far drive from campus. She could miss her afternoon Chaucer class and be back to campus on Monday if everything went well. One of the perks of writing for the campus paper was her access to the AP wire and all the weird stories. Looking for 'her thing' was much easier when she didn't have to spend hours upon hours searching the net.

Obituaries were the first place she always looked. After about 5 minutes she found something. Steven Shoemaker had his eyes burst inside his head. Medical examiner was thinking stroke, but since when does a stroke make your eyes burst like balloons. Hustling back to her dorm she pulled out her favorite Vera Bradley duffle and started packing for a weekend away.

After shooting her professor a quick email explaining that her cat, Muffin, was tragically ill and she wouldn't be in class today so she could say goodbye. She packed her laptop, left her roommate a hot pink post it: "Gone for the weekend. See you Monday! xx –A", and headed down to her pride and joy; a cherry red 1965 Shelby GTO. The Mustang had previously belonged to her older brother, Blake, and upon his passing it was willed to her.

Several hours later, she found herself sitting in a Starbucks reading the Toledo Blade. Flipping to the obit page she found what she had read earlier; Steven Shoemaker. After a few quick calls to several local hospitals she found the morgue the corpse was in. She gathered up her belonging and went into the ladies room to change. It was amazing what a good push-up bra, a tight tank top, and a good pair of jeans could do for a girl trying to get into restricted areas.

Walking from the restroom to her vehicle she could feel eyes on her.

'_Yup_,' she thought to herself, '_this is totally going to work_.'

Arriving at the hospital she asked the male attendant at the front desk where she could find the morgue. He never made eye contact with her, but was very helpful in directing her to where she needed to go.

Riding the elevator to the basement she found yet another check point, also being attended by a young male. Gathering herself and smothering her shame she stuck out her chest and sauntered over to the desk.

"Hi," she said in the best breathy, sexy voice she could muster, "my name is Ainsley Shoemaker, I'm Steven Shoemaker's niece, and I was wondering if I could just visit with my uncle really quickly."

The man gave her a blank look.

She could hear the elevator doors open behind her and the sound of footsteps coming their way.

'_Shit,_' she thought, '_alright, time for the water works_.'

When she was young Ainsley had discovered that she had the ability to make herself cry on cue. She considered it to be her most valuable super power and only tried to use it for good instead of evil.

Clearly the man at the desk wasn't having any of her tears, and had lost interest in her tank top. Whoever exited the elevator was clearly more interesting to him.

She glanced over her shoulder to see two young men, tall and handsome, approaching them.

The shorter of the two started talking about being medical students from Ohio State and how some doctor was planning on seeing them and showing them the Shoemaker body. Damn, this guy was popular today.

After a couple minutes of bantering between the attendant and the med students, the one with the floppy hair pulled out his wallet and placed several bills on the desk.

"Follow me," the man behind the desk said, standing up.

Ainsley was about to miss her moment.

"Um, guys, do you mind if I tag along?"

All three of them looked at her with shock. They must have forgotten she was standing there.

"Absolutely, sweetheart," crooned the one with the emerald green eyes as he stuck his arm out in front of him, "ladies first."

'Thank you,' she said while mentally rolled her eyes.

After examining the body and talking about cause of death and the circumstances surrounding the man's death the two men exited the morgue and headed to the stairs. Ainsley was stunned. These guys weren't medical students.

"Hey!" she chased after them.

After a moment they turned around in unison.

Green Eyes was the first to respond, "Hello, beautiful. What can I do for you?"

"There's no way you guys are medical students."

Floppy Hair was stunned and looked at Green Eyes, "W-what, of course we are…"

"Yeah, I'm Dean, and this is my brother Sam. We go to Ohio State."

Ainsley paused, "Sam and Dean…. Winchester?"

The men both looked taken aback and looked down on the small framed woman.

"Yeah, who are you?" Sam said with more than a hint of distain in his voice.

"Duh," she mumbled, "John must not have told them about me."

"Woah. You know our dad?" Dean inquired, taking a step toward her.

Her face dropped and she took a deep breath.

"Yes, I know your dad. About 8 months ago he saved me." Along, awkward pause filled the stairwell, "I'm Ainsley Ackers by the way."

Sam and Dean shared a look filled with confusion and questions.

"Do you mind coming with us so we can talk to you about our dad?" Sam asked in the most gentle and understanding way. Clearly he was the sensitive one.

Ainsley agreed and followed them out to the parking lot behind the hospital. Parked next to her Shelby was a Chevy Impala, she recognized the car as the Winchester's family vehicle. John had been driving it when he rescued her.

"How about I just follow you fellas?"

Sam nodded his head as he folded himself into their vehicle, Dean followed suit and exited the lot.

A 20 minute drive later she followed the Impala into a dump of a motel. The exact same kind of place John had taken her to as she recovered from the shock of… that day.

Silently they all exited their vehicles and entered room 14. Inside were two double beds, a couch and a small kitchenette. Everything was dingy and faded, but clearly the boys felt at home. They both kicked off their boots and removed their jackets.

"Would you like a beer?" Sam asked, making his way to the small fridge in the kitchenette she assumed only held leftovers and alcohol.

"Yes, thank you."

They all took a seat. Not wanting to be awkward and sit on a bed, Ainsley took the couch. Sam also sat on the couch, but as far as humanly possible away from her. Dean sat on the foot of one of the beds and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his fingers in a steeple in front of his lips. She held in a chuckle, John looked exactly the same way when he was thinking of what to say next. There was no denying these boys were his sons.

After taking a pull from his beer, Sam turned to Ainsley.

"So, how did you meet our dad… if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh."

The question took her by surprise, although she should have seen it coming.

"Last September, after I had moved back to school, I got a call from my parent's house line. All I could hear was muffled screaming and swearing in the background. I had no idea what was going on so I freaked out and went home. Luckily home is only about a 15 minute drive for me, really that's one of the best advantages of campus, I could go home and see everyone on the weekend and be home quickly if I needed to and…" her eyes had started to brim with tears and she was rambling.

Sam stuck his long arm out and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She paused, collected her thoughts, and continued, "When I got home I found them all dead; my parents, my brothers, even our dog. I was in shock. I had to get away from all the blood so I sat down on the porch and went catatonic for God knows how long. That's where John found me. He inspected the house and carried me away. Put me on the back seat of the Impala and drove away from the house. I thought he was going to kill me too. But he took me to a motel and told me to rest and he left. I learned later he was going to… to… salt and burn."

Recalling these memories was the straw that broke the camel's back. Tears started falling down her cheeks.

Through her sobbing she continued, "He came back, covered in blood and smelling like a camp fire. He told me who he was, what he did, and what killed my family."

"What was it?" Dean was on the edge of his seat, like a little kid hearing a ghost story.

"Werewolf," she mumbled.

It seemed like hours ticked by as she recounted how their dad had spent the next few weeks teaching her about their world and encouraging her to go back to school and graduate in the spring.

She glanced at Sam who had inched closer to her, his protective hand still on her shoulder.

"He talked about you going to Stanford. How proud he was of what you were achieving. So, where is John? I haven't talked to him in ages."

Now it was the boys' turn to fill in Ainsley about the last few months. About John going missing, finding his journal and hunting the demon that killed Mary.

"Wow, guys, I'm so sorry… but I don't know anything. I haven't talked to John since Thanksgiving. He came back to watch the Michigan game with me on his way to a hunt. That's the last I heard from him."

Her phone started to buzz in her pocket.

"Excuse me," she said, exiting the motel room as she answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Girl, you did NOT leave me a post it telling me you were going away for the weekend. It's called texting, bitch, learn to do it!" her roommate Jane was shouting on the other end of the phone.

"I'm sorry; I'm in Toledo catching up with some friends. I'll be back soon. And I promise to keep you updated. Don't go too crazy tonight."

"Mmmhmm, whatever. See you later. Slut."

Disconnect.

She reentered the motel room to find the brothers having a heated discussion. She turned away in a lackluster attempt to not butt in on their family issues. She felt like she knew them from all John's stories, but they didn't know her from Eve. As quietly as she could she shut the door and returned to her place on the couch.

"You're going home." Dean was finished talking to Sam and now was making eye contact with her, "I don't need a fragile little thing like you getting in the way on this hunt."

She wanted to interject and tell him she wasn't fragile, but going home sounded ideal. She had finals coming up and would rather be in the library anyway.

"Fine."

She grabbed her purse and jacket and started moving toward the exit.

Sam cut in front of her with a notepad from the motel desk.

"Phone number and address" he demanded, not asking, "we'll come down to Columbus when we're done here."

She scribbled her cell phone number and address on the paper and made her exit. As much as she hated to admit it she was sad leaving them. They reminded her of her brothers.

'Soon,' she whispered to herself, 'you'll see them soon.'

Putting her car into reverse she pulled out of the parking spot and managed to make it out of the parking lot before the tears came.


	2. As You Wish

Ainsley had been back a couple days when her phone began to ring out in the library. "Renegade" by Styx filled the stacks and the death glares she got from other students made whatever it was the Winchesters hunted look like the Easter Bunny.

"Sorry!" she whispered as she did her best to silence the music coming from the phone.

Leaving her table and finding the stairwell she answered with a whisper, "Hello"

"Ains, its Sam Winchester."

"Hiya, Sam!"

"Listen, we're done in Toldeo and I'd- we'd love to come down to see you. Is that alright?" She suppressed her giggles at how nervous he sounded.

"Of course!" the address I gave you is actually my family's house in Gahanna. But I live about 15 minutes from there on campus. Do you want to see the school or would you guys rather get some shut eye on a real bed with a real home-cooked meal?"

"I know my answer, but let me ask Dean."

Sam had covered the mouth of the phone but she could make out some of their conversation.

Dean only wanted the real bed and home-cooked meal if Ainsley wasn't in a sorority or all-female housing. Again, she suppressed her giggles.

Relaying Dean's request incorrectly the phone was muffled for a few seconds before a different voice was on the other end of the line.

"If I come to your dorm how like am I to see half-naked cheerleaders having a pillow fight?" Dean inquired.

"Slim to none. But the water pressure at my parent's house is like heaven and I promise you the best gumbo you've ever had if you let me cook for you. We can go scouting for hotties later this week." She figured this was the best way to keep the boys away from campus. She didn't need the attention of walking around with to Adonis-looking men.

"Can you make pie?"

She chuckled, "Apple or cherry?"

"Both is good."

"Sounds good. When will you guys be here? I'm at the library and will need to go to the grocery store so I can feed you."

"7:30ish." The phone was back in Sam's control now, "Is that alright?"

"That's perfect, be safe sweetheart, I'll see you then."

Disconnect.

Instantly Ainsley's face was as red as it has ever been. Did she just call Sam sweetheart? Shit!

She returned to her study table and packed her books and laptop and headed to the parking lot where her vehicle was parked. She avoided going back to her parent's house alone, too many sad memories.

Making a mental shopping list she worked her way through the grocery store with ease. She knew having two grown boys at home meant food disappeared fast. Her mother always lamented about that when her brothers were both home at the same time, but she knew it was all a ruse. Elizabeth Ackers loved having a full house. She loved throwing parties and having friends join them for dinner. This was a trait she had passed on to her daughter and Ainsley was grateful her parent's home could still be used to host friends.

She got home and immediately started the pies; one apple, one cherry. After that she finished putting the other groceries away. The gumbo was next; she pulled her Nana's recipe card from the box on the shelf and started throwing everything in the pot on the stove top. The house smelled amazing. With the gumbo simmering and enough time left on the pies she darted upstairs to replenish the toiletries and towels in the shared bathroom that connected her brother's rooms. She also put fresh sheets and blankets on the beds.

It was strange to be in those rooms. Other than cleaning she tended to avoid Blake and Taylor's private spaces. Blake's trophies, medals, and awards from swimming and track were still on display and Taylor's wide collection of books, records, and movies went untouched on his shelves. She figured each Winchester would feel comfortable the rooms she had picked for them because the previous tenant was so similar. As she finished making the last bed the oven timer went off.

The pies were cooling on the kitchen island and the gumbo was ready whenever the boys got here. She was almost finished setting the small circular kitchen table when the doorbell rang. She wiped her hands on her apron, took a deep breath and went to answer the door.

Opening the large front door she found herself in shock of how tall they were. Her 5 foot 5 inch frame was so slight compared to theirs; each of them seemed to tower over her.

"Come in!" she greeted, "Welcome to our- er, my home!"

Dean entered first greeting her with a big hug and a bundle of yellow tulips.

"They were our mom's favorite." He noted without being asked. The smile on his face was sincere as he mentioned Mary.

Sam's hug was next, and while it was softer than Dean's it was just as welcomed.

"Thank you for having us. I can't remember the last time someone made us dinner."

His face was filled with a sadness she couldn't identify. Ainsley had a feeling there was more to Sam's past than she knew about right now.

"Y'all are welcome to drop your bags in your rooms upstairs. Sam you'll be in the first door on the right, Dean you'll be at the one at the end of the hall. The rooms are connected by a bathroom. There are fresh towels if you need a shower. Or, if you prefer a bath, I'm sure I can find you some bath balls or bubble bath." She giggled.

They kicked of their boots and raced upstairs to their rooms like giant children. They shouted to each other through the bathroom about the things each room contained. Dean was admiring Blake's awards and pictures while Sam marveled at the books on Taylor's shelves. After a few long moments she heard a sound she hadn't heard in ages. They had discovered Taylor's record collection and had put a Van Halen album on the old record player he kept tucked under his bed.

She kept working in the kitchen thinking how wonderful it was this house was being used again when someone came up from behind her and snaked his arms around her.

"Thanks for doing this for us, beautiful."

Dean.

Her breath hitched in her throat, surprised at how solid he felt behind her.

"It's Ainsley. And you're welcome, sweetie."

'_Shit. AGAIN? Sweetie? Really!_' She was mentally kicking herself when the heat from Dean's body disappeared and Sam entered the room.

"You boys hungry?" she said, pulling 3 beers from the fridge. "Have a seat."

Over dinner they laughed and talked and shared stories. They had moved on to dessert when Sam finally got brave enough to ask the question that had clearly been on his mind all evening.

"Ains, whose rooms are we staying in?"

She sighed. "Dean is in my older brother Blake's room. Sam, you're in my twin brother Taylor's room. Although he'd want me to point out also technically my older brother by 5 minutes. They were amazing. And a lot like you guys. Blake was the jock of the family. He was a diver on the swim team and he ran track. Taylor was the quiet one. He loved reading and learning. But what they shared was music. I heard you listening to their collection earlier."

The brothers shared a look.

"I'm sorry you guys will never get to meet them," she continued, tears filling her eyes. She didn't want to cry again so she started clearing dishes from the table and taking them to the kitchen sink.

"Here. Let me help." Sam was standing next to her and she started handing him dishes to dry. "I'm really sorry I asked about your brothers. I should have known."

She looked up at him, her blue eyes still wet with unshed tears. "Let's just talk about something else."

He nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Dean!" She shouted into the dining area where he was still trying to decide whether he liked the cherry or apple pie better.

"Yes, beautiful?"

"On Taylor's shelves there are hundreds of movies. Wanna pick one out? I'll make popcorn."

"Please tell me your brother doesn't have Porky's 2…" Sam said with a pain in his voice.

Laughter escaped her lips. "Maybe, why?"

"SAMMY! PORKY'S 2!" Dean shouted as he reentered the kitchen. "And I also got the Princess Bride as a backup."

"Oh, that's my favorite." Ainsley swooned, drying her hands and taking the disc from Dean.

She opened a door across the kitchen and started going downstairs, flipping on light switches the whole way. The brothers followed her in awe of the room.

Years ago Ben Ackers, her father, decided to convert their basement into a cinema/rec room. She admitted having a home theater, air hockey and a pool table was never overly exciting in high school, but it always impressed boyfriends she brought over to hang out. Apparently, it also impressed the Winchesters.

After setting up the movie she started the popcorn machine at the "concession stand" in the corner. Her mom had insisted snacks were the best part of the movie going experience.

She served up the popcorn and grabbed some peanut M&Ms for herself, taking her seat between the guys.

They watched in silence as Wesley saved Buttercup from the evil Prince. But before the movie finished she fell asleep in her chair. Little did she know that her guests had played 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' to see who would carry her to bed.

She half awoke as she was lifted from the chair into Sam's arms.

"Shhh," he whispered, "Go back to sleep, I'm just taking you to bed."

With a nod she closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

Waking the next morning in her childhood room with the smell of pancakes and bacon wafting in her door she could have sworn she was in a dream.

"Mom?" she questioned out loud.

Then consciousness hit her and she realized it wasn't her fair skinned mother cooking. Tears overtook her eyes again. She really had to stop letting those Winchester boys make her cry.


	3. Hand in Hand

She hated mornings. She was not a morning person. Pulling the covers over her head she hummed softly to herself trying to drown out the shouting happening in the kitchen below her. Minutes passed and she realized there was no going back to sleep.

She removed herself from the soft, warm bed and padded her way to the pink bathroom that connected to her bedroom. When she was 11 this color scheme was great, at 22 she felt like she was showering at Barbie's house. She had just started to shampoo her hair when she heard a knock at the door. Before she could answer the door creaked open and the visitor stepped into the steamy room.

"Hey beautiful, Sammy made pancakes and I've got a fresh pot of coffee going whenever you feel like joining the living."

Dean. Why does her heart always seem to speed up when he calls her beautiful?

"Ainsley. And thank you… I'll be down in a few minutes."

She hears the door shut and breathes a sigh of relief. Hurrying through the rest of her shower she towels her hair as dry as she can, throws on her favorite jeans, an old Van Halen tshirt Taylor had given her after he shrunk it in the wash, and runs a comb through her hair.

'Meh, close enough.' She tells herself looking in the mirror.

Downstairs she finds the two brothers at the kitchen table, each with a short stack in front of them and one waiting for her. Sam has his nose in a book he must have found in Taylor's room and Dean is sharpening the steak knives from the butcher block on the counter.

Clearly the two brothers have made themselves at home.

"So, I have a paper due this evening I need to finish but then I thought maybe we could explore campus a bit, maybe find some of those half-naked cheerleaders Dean was asking for yesterday."

"Can we come with you?" Sam asks, "I just want to explore a little. I miss being on a campus."

"Sure," she says, wondering what kind of trouble they can manage to find on her campus in a few hours. "We can meet up for drinks later after I finish."

She starts moving around the kitchen fixing a lunchbox full of snacks and a thermos full of coffee.

"Why don't I go with you now and Dean can catch up later. I'm sure you don't want to go explore a dusty old library, right brother?" Sam says as he stands to take his plate to the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah. That's fine."

"I'll send you the address of where to meet us later Dean." She smiles at him.

He smiles back and it reaches his eyes.

'_God, he's sexy_.' She thinks as she finishes packing up to go back to her dorm.

"Ready Sam?" she asks.

He nods and moves toward the front door, exiting before she does. In a heartbeat Dean has his arms around her.

"Goodbye, Beautiful." He croons, kissing her cheek.

Her mouth is too dry to respond. So as soon as his arms release her she is out the door.

She unlocks the Mustang, throwing her bags on the back seat. Sam follows her lead and contorts himself in to the car.

The whole ride back to school they talk like old friends, telling tales from their time at college and how sad Sam was he left Stanford to rejoin 'the life'.

"Why did you leave? I mean just because Dean showed up at your door doesn't mean you have to go… You could have gone to Law School and had a real life, Sam. I just don't understand why you gave it up." She rambles a bit as she drives down the highway, her question turning into a monologue.

"Jess." He answers as he turns away from Ainsley's sideways glances.

"Who is Jess, Sam?"

"Jess was my girlfriend. I loved her. I was going to marry her," he shifts himself around and pulls out his wallet, removing a simple, modest diamond ring, "I even had a ring. But then she died and I didn't have anyone else so I left Stanford to help Dean find our dad. And I have to find him, Ains, because the thing that killed Jess is the thing that killed our mom, and I want to stop it before it can hurt anyone else."

She reached over and placed her hand on his, not realizing it was the hand holding the ring intended for his lost love.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." She didn't even care she said it this time. She meant it. She'd never met a man as kind and loving as Sam, and to see him emotional was heartbreaking.

He responded with tears in his eyes, "thanks."

The rest of the drive was silent. She parked in the lot outside her building.

"I need to run up to my room and swap out some books and grab my charger. Wanna come with me then come see the library. There's a fairly large occult section on the fourth floor."

"Sounds perfect," he said offering her his arm, "Lead the way."

Ainsley looped her hand over the crook of his elbow and they walked to her room together. All the while she silently prayed Jane wouldn't be home. There's no way she'd believe Ainsley hadn't hooked up with Sam and the torture for details would make Guantanamo Bay look like Disney Land.

She unlocked the room with trepidation.

"Jane?"

No answer.

"Alright, just give me 2 minutes," she said rushing into her bedroom, "Make yourself at home."

Sam explored the common area of the dorm admiring the pictures on the walls and prints of paintings she had chosen. One picture in particular stood out. It was Ainsley in costume that made her look like a cat (a sexy cat) and two large men flanking her on either side. One was a cowboy, the other an Indian. Making assumptions he figured out the cowboy was Taylor (they had the same nose and smile) and the Indian was Blake (who had the same striking blue eyes Ainsley did). He felt like he was intruding on her past so he took a seat on the couch just before she emerged from her room.

"Ready?" She asked, almost bouncing off the walls, a can of Red Bull in her hands.

"After you," he replied, once again offering his arm.

This time instead of resting her hand in the previous spot, she wrapped her small hand around his bicep. Even through his jacket she could tell how fit he was. Without thinking she moved her hand down the length of his arm until their fingers were laced together.

"Sorry," she said after a stunned look appeared on his face, "too soon."

She attempted to pull her hand away but he held it tight.

"No. It feels nice. I miss this."

The walk to the library was short and she wished she could have taken him around campus but her paper _really_ needed work.

She showed him to the occult section and told him she'd be on the sixth floor in the back corner.

Before she could walk away he pulled her back to him, holding her slender frame to his.

Dipping his head down, his lips an inch away from hers, he whispered, "I'll miss you" before lightly connecting their lips.

Her stomach did a backflip, warmth pooling at her center.

"You too," she said in an exhale, somehow managing to walk away.

Hours went by before he joined her again.

"Perfect timing," she whispered, "I'm almost done. Just need to email it to my professor and we can get out of here."

Sam helped her pack her things away and took her hand as they started moving towards the stairwell. Her heartbeat fluttered again.

He pulled out his phone with his free hand when they finally exited the building.

"Hey man, she's done so I think we're gonna find a bar or something. You ready to join us?"

Sam went silent as Dean spoke on the other end of the line.

"Dean wants to know if there is a bar that draws in the hot cheerleader crowd, and if so, then yes, he's ready to join us."

Ainsley laughed and grabbed the phone from Sam.

"Do you prefer cheerleaders or sorority girls, Dean?"

"Sorority girls, please!" She could tell he was smiling as he answered the question.

Sounds good, I'll text you the address.

Ending the call she texted Dean an address, closed the phone she handed it back to Sam.

"Ready to go meet some sorority girls, Sam?"

Sam gave the most genuine laugh she'd ever heard. His smile was so big he had adorable dimples. His hazel eyes lit up.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

The two continued to walk hand in hand to the main stretch of road that ran through campus. Her hand felt warm beneath his touch and she couldn't help but think about that kiss he'd given her earlier. She could feel her face blush at the thought as his eyes met hers.

He dropped her hand as soon as they saw the Impala parked in front of the bar, and stopped walking.

"What's wrong," she stopped, confused, "you okay?"

"I'm perfect," he said leaning down once more to kiss her.

The kiss was quick but this time with a little more passionate that before.

"Thank you," was all she could get out as he started his long strides again toward their destination.


End file.
